Indicating device



(Model.)

I. ROSENFELD. INDIGATING DEVICE.

No. 553,427. l Patentedhn'. 21, 1896.

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IKE ROSENFELD, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

INDICATING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 553,427, dated January21, 1896. Application tiled June 25, 1895. Serial No. 553,968. 4(Model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, IKE ROSENFELD, a subject of the Czar of Russia,residing in the city and county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inIndicating Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification.

This in vention relates to indicating devices7 having reference,moreespecially,to mechanical calendars which accurately indicate the date,day, and month, and which calendars are operated from day to day eithermanually or automatically.

The invention comprehends novel features of construction and arrangementof parts, which will be hereinafter particularly described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a face view of a mechanical calendarembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is avertical section through the caseadjacent to the operating-slide. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of theoperating mechanism as removed from the case. Fig. i is a similarelevation with the regulating-wheel removed for clearness. Fig. 5 is adetail of the regulating-wheel.

A designates a suitable case of appropriate shape and size for itsintended purpose. Inclosed in this case is a frame a, upon which theworking mechanism is supported. On the frame is an arbor b,upon which ismounted a crown ratchet-wheel B, having thirty-one teethwhich'correspond with the days of the month, and upon which arbor issupported a disknb, on the face of which are printed in circular order,at regular intervals apart, the numerals l to 31, inclusive, indicatingthe days of the month. Inthe face of the case is an opening a', which isso disposed that during the intermittent rotation of the ratchetwheelthe numerals are successively presented to the opening. Engaging withthe teeth of the ratchet-wheel is a spring-pawl b2, which is attached toa vertical slide C on the frame,whereby when the slide is drawn down, bymeans of an eXteriorly-projecting knob c thereon, the wheel is advancedone tooth. The slide is retracted by means of a spring c', which issecured to a stud c2 thereon and to the frame. There is also provided aspring stop-pawl b3, which engages the ratchet-wheel and preventsbackward movement thereof.

On the frame adjacent to the ratchet-wheel B is an arbor d, upon whichis mounted a ratchet-wheel D having twelve teeth, which correspond withthe months in a year, and upon which arbor is supported a disk, on theface of which are printed in circular order,con secutively, the names ofthe months. Suitably located in the face of the case is an appropriateopening a2, to which the names of the months are successively presentedduring the step-by-step movement of the ratchet-wheel. On the peripheryof the wheel I3 is a stud b4, which is so disposed that during eachrevolution of said wheel the stud impinges against a tooth of themonth-wheel D and advances it one step, and in consequence thedate-wheel B makes twelve revolutions to each revolution of themonth-wheel. A spring stop-pawl d' engages the teeth of the wheel D andprevents its backward movement.

On the frame is a vertical slide e on which is journaled 'an arbor e.`This arbor carries a small ratchetwheel E having seven teeth whichcorrespond with the days of the week. The disposition of the parts issuch that when the slide is inits raised or normal position 4the teethof the wheel are successively engaged by those of the date-wheel, so asto impel the wheels concertedly. Upon the arbor c' is a disk c2 on theface of which are printed, in circular series, consecutively, the daysof the week, which are successively presented to an appropriate openinga3 in the face of the case. A suitably-disposed stop-pawl eX c0- actswith the wheel E to check its backward movement.

The slide e is maintained in the normal or active position by means of aflat spring e3, one end of which is secured to the frame while its freeend bears upon a lateral stud on the slide. This slide has an upwardextension upon which bears one arm. of a horizontally-disposed lever Fthat is fulcrumed to the frame. The other arm of the lever rests upon avertical eXtension of the operating-slide C, the parts being soconstructed that when said latter slide is in the raised or normalposition the slide c is pressed downward by the action of the lever soas to maintain the day-wheel out IOO of active position, and that whenthe operating-slide is moved downward, the pressure thereof beingremoved from the lever, the slide e is raised by its spring to engagethe teeth of the day-Wheel With those of the date-Wheel.

The movement of the day-Wheel into and out of action is governed by thenumber of days in each month-that is to say, in a thirty-oneday monththe date-Wheel in its revolution makes thirty-one regular steps, and theday- Wheel is acted upon by the successive teeth,

and in a thirty-day month the date-Wheel, in

its revolution,makes thirty steps,being moved a distance of two teeth atthe end of the revolution, the day-Wheel being moved only one stepduring the last stroke of the date-Wheel. On the 28thrday of Februarythe date-Wheel is moved a distance of four teeth at the end of therevolution to one step of the day-Wheel, and on the 29th day of February(in a leapyear) the date-Wheel in its final stroke is moved a distanceof three teeth to one of the day-Wheel.

The length of the stroke of the operatingslide and its paw] determinesthe respective movements of the date and day Wheels, as I have termedthem. Normally the stroke is such that in each reciprocation of theslide the ratchet-Wheel is advanced tooth by tooth. By proportionatelyincreasing the stroke of the slide at stated periods said Wheel is moveda distance of tWo, three, or four teeth, as required.

The stroke of the slide and its paWlis governed by anautomaticallvoperated Wheel G. termed the regulating-Wheel, which isconstructed and arranged to make a complete revolution in four years.This Wheel is mounted on the supporting-frame in proximity to theoperating-slide and the date-Wheel, the slide being provided with aprojection or plunger c3, that registers With peripheral notches orindentations of varying depths in the Wheel G. The Wheel is made in twoparts g g, one part, g, being iiXed to an arbor g2 and the other part,g', being loosely mounted on the arbor and having a yielding connectionWith the other part. Part g is provided With fortyeight notches, (andconsequently a like number of teeth,) which correspond With thefortyeight months in four years. Those notches for the thirty-one-daymonths are indicated at w, being comparatively shallow. Those for thethirty-day months are indicated at x, being slightly deeper. The notchfor the February month With twenty-nine days (in the leapyear) isindicated at y, being still deeper, and the notches for the threeFebruary months With twenty-eight days are indicated at e', being thedeepest.

Suitably located on the back of the date- Wheel is a pin g3, which isadapted during each revolution of the date-Wheel to impinge against oneof the teeth of the Wheel-section 'g and lmove it at a distance of onetooth. Hence the Wheel G makes one revolution in four years. The part gof the regulating- Wheel has-twenty shouldered teeth, of which sixteen,r11', corresponding with the thirty-day months in four years, are thesame length, one, y, corresponding with the February month oftwenty-nine days, being somewhat longer,and the remaining three,z,corresponding with the three February months of twenty-eight days,being still longer. The peripheral edge of the Wheel-section g is flushwith the bottoms of the notches w in the section g, and such edge isprovided at proper points With notches a' a', y y and e' z,corresponding with the notches y and z, respectively, in said section g.Normally the position of the section g upon the section g is such thatthe shoulders ci the teeth overlap the edges of the notches representingthe thirty-day months, being held yieldingly in that position by meansof a fiat spring g4, that is secured to the face of the section g in amanner `to bear against the edge of a suitable opening in the face ofthe section g', whereby the latter may be turned against the pressure ofthe spring to bring such shoulders in line with the edges of therespective notches. A suitable stop g5 is provided to determine themovement of section g. On the back of the date-Wheel are three pins x2y2 z2, Which are arranged in such positions relative to each other andto the Wheel G that the pin .r2 will act upon the teeth cc', the pin y2upon the teeth y', and the pin ,z2 upon the teeth a', such pins in eachimpact moving the spring-controlled Wheel-section to effect thealignment of the teeth or notches, as above stated.

IOO

The parts are so relatively arranged that in a thirty-one-day month theplunger moves into the notches fw, so as to effect the regularintermittent revolution of the date-Wheel and the corresponding movemontof the day- Wheel. In a thirty-day, twenty-eight-day or twenty-nine-daymonth the plunger acts upon the opposed shoulder of one of theshouldered teeth until the last day of the month, Whereupon the uppersection g of Wheel G is moved laterally, as above explained, so that theplunger escaping the shoulder Will 'pass into the proximate notch, thedepth of Which Will determine the succeeding stroke of the plunger toeffect the requisite movements of the date and day Wheels, as Will bereadily understood.

The shoulders of the teeth in part g of the regulating-Wheel are shownas extended out- Wardly beyond the bottoms of the notches fw in the partg merely for the purpose of reinforcing said teeth; but if suchshoulders be flush With or in the same plane as the bottoms of thenotches w the action of the shoulders in determining the position of theplunger c3 in respect to the notches cc, y and z in Wheel part g will bethe same-that is to say, in either case each stroke of the plunger Willoperate the paWl b2 sufficiently to move the icg IIO

ratchet-Wheel in a distance ot one tooth, there being sufficient play ofthe slide to enable the paWl b2 to grasp one tooth even When theshoulder is opposed to the plunger c. lVhen a notch is in line with theplunger the plunger has a greater movement, but still not sumcient tograsp two teeth. The shouldered teeth corresponding to the notches y yand e e' are removed therefrom farther than those corresponding to thenotches for the reason that the disk g has a greater play or movementwhen a shouldered tooth corresponding to one of these deep notches isopposite the plunger than when a shouldered tooth corresponding to oneof the notches 00 is opposite the plunger. This greater play of disk gis caused by the prolonged contact of one of the long teeth z or jijwith pins or 1/2 at this time.

g( is simply a stop-pawl that engages the teeth of the wheel-section gand prevents backward movement thereof.

Although the invention has been shown and described as applied to acalendar, it will be obvious that it may be applied to other indieatingdevices.

I claim as my inventionl. In an indicating device, the combination, witha supporting frame, of a main ratchet wheel provided with aperipherally-projecting stud, actuating means for said wheel, a ratchetwheel adjacent to said main wheel and adapted to be engaged by theperipheral stud during each revolution of the main wheel, a thirdratchet wheel adjacent to the main wheel, and means for bodily movingsaid third wheel into and out of the path of the teeth of the mainwheel, substantially as described.

2. In an indicating device, the combin ation, with a supporting frame,of a main ratchet wheel, a slide provided with a pawl engaging theratchet wheel, a ratchet wheel adjacent to the said main wheel adaptedto be actuated thereby at predetermined intervals, a springcontrolledslide adjacent to said main wheel, a ratchet wheel on said latter slide,and a lever fulcrumed on the main frame in such manner that its armsbear upon the respective slides, substantially as described.

3. In an indicating device, the combination, with a main wheel providedwith relatively arranged studs or projections7 and means for actuatingsaid wheel, of a two-part wheel adjacent thereto, one part of which isaffixed to the arbor and is provided with a number of peripheral teethand radial slots at predetermined points, and the other part of whichwheel is loosely mounted on the arbor and is yieldingly connected withthe other part, said loosely mounted part being provided with radialslots corresponding with those in the other part and with teeth whichare adapted to be actuated by the studs or projections on the main wheelat predetermined periods, together with a ratchet wheel adjacent to saidmain wheel adapted to be actuated thereby at predetermined intervals, aspring-controlled slide adjacent to said main wheel, a third ratchetwheel adjacent to the main wheel, and means for bodily moving said thirdwheel into and out of the path of the teeth of the main wheel,substantially as described.

4C. In an indicating device, the combination, with a main wheel providedwith relatively arranged studs or projections, and means for actuatingsaid wheel, of a two-part wheel adjacent thereto, one part of which isaffixed to the arbor and is provided with a number of peripheral teethand radial slots at predetermined points, and the other part of whichwheel is loosely mounted on the arbor and is yieldingly connected withthe other part, said loosely mounted part being provided with radialslots corresponding with those in the other part and with teeth whichare adapted to be actuated by the studs or projections on the main wheelat predetermined periods, a slide adjacent to the main wheel, a ratchetwheel on said slide, and operative connections between said slide andthe means for actuating-the main wheel, whereby the said slide with itswheel is moved to throw the wheel bodily into and out of the path of theteeth of the main wheel, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

IKE ROSENFELD. Witnesses ANDREW T. GROUPE, JOHN R. NoLAN.

